A long-term resident of the electorate, Jan McNicol from the Stable Population Party has a wide range of interests in cultural and environmental issues. She said she participated in ‘the noble but failed attempt to protect the Highgate Hill Gully from destruction for high rise in 2002’. She watches ‘with horror the spreading densification of this area, as high rises proliferate, local residents lose the right to be consulted about over-development in their streets and neighbourhoods and gardens with trees become concrete boxes’, saying ‘this electorate is an epicentre of growth in a south east Queensland, a high growth area in its own right’.
According to Ms McNicol, population is ‘the everything issue’. She says, ‘A Stable Population will help relieve overstretched infrastructure including hospitals, schools, roads and public transport, ease cost of living pressures including housing, energy, water and transport , and protect our environment including food, water & energy resources, native bushland and animal habitats.’
Ms McNicol considers that ‘Neither Mr Rudd or Mr Newman will tackle population, and therefore neither will help improve our quality of life’. “From a population of 23 million today, under Liberal/Labor policies we are on target for 40 million by 2050 – and rising! We say let’s slow down and stabilise at around 26 million by 2050”.
As to preferences, Ms McNicol says, ‘we have an ‘open ticket’, where we suggest people vote 1 SPP then complete the ballot paper in their preferred order’.
Ms McNicol did not want an image of herself attached to this story because she says;’ I have safety concerns about publishing a photo of myself on the web’.
Many of the minor parties seem to be using the election as a platform for their policies and a way to raise their profile in this division. The rise of single-issue parties may also be a symptom of voter disillusionment with the major parties. It will be interesting to see if this translates into votes for some of them on Election Day.
I met Jan out campaigning the other week at West End markets. She had clearly thought about the population issue in depth and helped me connect the dots on the impact population growth is having on Australia & the world. I loved her passion for our environment and wildlife. I think it is very brave of her to speak up on an issue the Greens will not touch. She has my vote.
Population is not a single issue?
It affects everybody on the planet.
Most wars are fought over the control of resources,food and water.
As we populate and consume these they will become more scarce.
Australia doesn’t have an abundance of these things especially WATER, it is one of the driest continent on the earth.
You can’t address hospital waiting lists by adding more people to the queue. You can’t reduce traffic by adding more cars. You can’t reduce CO2 emmissions by adding more people and you can’t fix the environment by bulldozing trees to build more houses.
Population is not a single issue.
All members of the Stable Population Party have a demonstrated commitment to the party’s end-to-end approach to realising stable, sustainable populations in Australia and globally where we can be of assistance. Discussion on population need not be adversarial because it really just amounts to creating family friendly environments coupled with ecological awareness. By empowering men and women globally through education and voluntary access to family planning, the goal of happy, healthy societies that live in balance with nature and respect the other species we share this planet with is readily achievable.
Australia should be leading by example and to roughly quote Julia Gillard (even though her promise to not do so remains in tatters), “not barrel down the irresponsible path of a Big unsustainable Australia”. Balancing population with favourable resource ratios in harmony with nature is real progress and that’s the only balance sheet that really matters in the end.
It’s only logical: each and every individual has a certain minimum environmental and economic footprint; more individuals will increase the overall footprint. Consider the equation for calculating environmental impact: Impact = Population × Affluence × Technology.
I have looked at the Stable Population Party website and I agree with all their policies, especially that of increasing foreign aid for women’s rights, education and family planning; however, some individuals might have qualms with their proposal to equalise immigration and emigration numbers. I can understand these concerns but I feel it is most important to ensure other countries address their population problems from which these people are leaving.
I believe it would be ideal if we lived in a fair economic system that had a feedback loop into our environmental carrying capacity, which would thus naturally stabilise the population without having to resort to any direct policies pertaining to immigration numbers; however, I fear such changes are a long way away and that we’re already in an environmental crisis driven largely by global overpopulation which needs to be addressed as a priority.
I shall be supporting the Stable Population Party vigorously, definitely at least until we can solve other long-term problems, such as the destructive economic paradigm we live in.
Immigration is such a controversial issue that neither the major parties, not even the Greens will address it sensibly. Sustainable population and economics translates to a better quality of life for everyone inside and outside Australia. It’s math. It’s science. I’m impressed with the calibre of the people, the information and the policies of the Stable Population Party. They could go a long way before appearing to be single-issue… I can see them eventually forming an effective coalition government with the Greens and other steady-state economics parties.
Population is out of control all over the world.
We are consuming the earth’s resources quicker than we can find sustainable alternatives. In the process we could be killing possibly the only life in the universe.
Until now I’ve never felt so strongly about an issue that that had its own political party.
I’m in the Griffith electorate, and even though I’m putting my hand up a little late, I’d like to help on Saturday. (Handing out “How to vote” cards, or whatever. )
Cheers
Paul